Braves close to signing BJ Upton

Mark Bowman of MLB.com and Jerry Crasnick of ESPN are reporting that the Braves and Upton are close to a deal. This would be another blow to the Twins offseason plans of rebuilding the rotation as moving Denard Span to Atlanta for some of their young talented (cheap) pitching seemed like a perfect fit. Certainly there are other places Span can be moved to, but taking Atlanta off the table is a big setback.

Atlanta may still have interest in another outfielder even if they do sign Upton, but they'd likely be looking for a corner outfielder with a different offensive skill set, namely Josh Willingham.

There is plenty of other places to look to trade Span, i dont believe the Braves were ever to interested in him, they probably kicked the tires on it. Little birdies I have heard say that the Twins are asking WAYYYY to much for Span. Maybe the Braves are interested in Willingham, but I dont think a trade with Braves is going to happen anymore if they do sign Upton.

Not so fast. There has been significant reporting the last few days that Upton is not assumed to start in CF for the Braves in 2013. They could slide him to left, move Prado to 3rd (which was the plan anyway), and still pursue a center fielder. That would give them the best defensive outfield in the game, as they also enjoyed this year, something vital for the young pitching staff.

The Twins likely have to wait for Upton and Bourn to get deals before anyone will move on Span. One down, one to go.

And Span's trade value may have gone up with this contract. Upton is the better player, but not by much, and even Span's team option of $9 million in 2015 looks like a bargain. The next two seasons at just under $12 million combined look like a steal, even allowing for the health issues.

The Twins likely have to wait for Upton and Bourn to get deals before anyone will move on Span. One down, one to go.

And Span's trade value may have gone up with this contract. Upton is the better player, but not by much, and even Span's team option of $9 million in 2015 looks like a bargain. The next two seasons at just under $12 million combined look like a steal, even allowing for the health issues.